The present invention relates to a device for automatically chasing the sun or like moving light source and supplying an output thereof to its associated apparatus for a position control and other purposes.
While chasing devices of the type described are in operation in various fields, a solar sensor assembly for chasing the sun is installed in a solar energy collection apparatus which has been developed to meet the increasing demand for energy saving. The solar sensor is designed to cause the light collecting surface of the solar energy collector to always face the sun thereby allowing it to effectively collect the solar energy. This is to fulfill the need that the solar energy be effectively collected for effective utilization thereof and, therefore, the collector be operated in the most efficient conditions.
A known type of solar energy collection apparatus comprises a number of lenses bundled up by a frame together with a solar sensor. The position of the frame is controlled in response to an output of the solar sensor so that the light input end of each lens may be oriented sunward as long as the sunlight is available. Concerning the solar sensor installed in the solar energy collector, various propositions have been presented and they generally comprise a box-shaped housing and a plurality of sensor elements mounted on the housing. The prior art solar sensors are acceptable but not fully satisfactory, however. Particularly, there is a demand for an ability for disassembly and adjustment which will facilitate the production and maintenance of such a sensor, and for a configuration which will minimize an error due to indirect light beams entering the housing while covering a wider range of light source positions.